BLUE HILL METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02186
ELEVATION 635 FEET, 10 MILES SSW OF BOSTON, MA
 
DAILY DISCUSSION AND CLIMATE SUMMARY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2007
ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
 
WE HAVE GONE QUICKLY OUT OF DEEP FREEZE TO A HINT OF SPRING
WITH TODAY'S 46 DEGREES...WARMEST SINCE 48 ON JANUARY 13TH...
 
Temperatures began rising from 14 degrees at 8:30 p.m. 
last evening, reached 17 degrees by midnight and 28 
degrees by 7 a.m. this morning before hitting 46 degrees
early this afternoon.  The total temperature rise from 
5 degrees at 7 a.m. yesterday through 1 p.m. today has 
been 41 degrees!
 
IN ADDITION TO HAVING ONLY 2.3 INCHES OF SNOWFALL SO FAR THIS 
MONTH OF FEBRUARY HAS BEEN VERY COLD, VERY SUNNY, AND DRY
 
Only a little more than a week remains not only in this month 
of February but also in meteorological winter, the months of 
December, January and February.  So far the winter and seasonal
snowfall totals match at only 8.7 inches or 32 inches less than 
the average seasonal total to date. 
 
In addition, this month has been very cold and extremely sunny
with temperatures averaging more than six degrees below normal.
Only two days, the 1st and 2nd, have had slightly above normal
temperatures and two days have had a mean temperature that was 
right on the normal.
 
Almost half the days to date have had over 90% of the possible 
bright sunshine with the monthly average now at 68%.  This is 
well above the norm of 50%.
 
Precipitation has been measurable on only 4 days and the big 
storm on Valentines Day, which brought a record for the date
2.09 inches, has saved this from being a very dry month. 
Only one quarter of an inch of precipitation fell on the other
three days.  
 
Today's observations:
 
7 A.M.   
Weather: Overcast altostratus, few altocumulus, break in overcast 
distant south
Temperature: 28F, Dew point: 20F, Wind: SSW at 20G30 kts 
Peak wind: 30 kts SSW @ 53 mins. past the hour  
Sea-level pressure: 29.80 inches Hg, falling 
Visibility: 25 miles, hazy 
6-hourly min. temp. 18 deg. 
Snow on ground: 1 inch
BHO SA 1155 E130 OVC 25 090/28/20/2020G30/980/ FEW LWR AC DSNT E-S 
HIER CLDS VSB DSNT E BINOVC/HIER CLDS VSB DSNT SSE-S PTCH AC SW 
HAZY PK WND 2030/53/ 8/07/ 4/001 58025 10028 20018
 
10 A.M.    
Weather: Broken middle level clouds 
Temperature: 36F, Dew point: 20F, Wind: SSW AT 16G23 kts  
Peak wind: SSW at 27 kts @ 32 past the hour
Sea-level pressure: 29.77 inches Hg, falling 
Visibility: 25 miles, hazy  
BHO SA 1455 E100 BKN 150 BKN 25 080/36/20/2116G23/977/ 
FEW LWR AC PTCHS CLR SKY SE-SW VIRGA HAZY PK WND 2127/32/ 
8/070 58010 
 
1 P.M.    
Weather: Overcast high thin cirrus clouds 
Temperature: 45F, Dew point: 21F, Wind: SW AT 16G24 kts
Peak wind: SW at 26 kts at 08 past the hour
Sea-level pressure: 29.71 inches Hg, falling 
Visibility: 30 miles, hazy  
6-hourly max. temp. 46 deg.  
BHO SA 1755 180 SCT 250 –BKN 300 –OVC 30 060/45/21/2216G24/971/ 
BINOVC HAZY PK WND 2226/08/ WND 20V26/ 8/031 58020 10046 20028
 
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 PRESIDENT'S DAY
 
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
MAX.....20    NORMAL.....37 
MIN......5    NORMAL.....21   
MEAN....13    NORMAL.....29
 
DEPARTURE FROM 30-YEAR NORMAL.........-16
TOTAL DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH........-126 (-6.8 DEGREES/DAY) 
 
HEATING DEGREE DAYS6
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR YESTERDAY..........52   DEPARTURE.......+16
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE MONTH.........841   DEPARTURE......+132 
TOTAL HEATING UNITS FOR THE SEASON.......3785   DEPARTURE......-470
TOTAL HEATING UNITS LAST SEASON TO DATE..3727   DIFFERENCE......+58
 
PEAK GUST AND AVERAGE WIND SPEED (MPH)
PEAK WIND GUST FOR YESTERDAY............46 WNW AT  8:01 A.M.      
                   AEROVANE.............51 WNW AT  8:04 A.M.      
                   ASOS.................45 WNW AT  9:47 A.M.     
                   DAVIS................46   W AT  6:23 A.M.      
FASTEST MILE FOR YESTERDAY..............36 WNW AT  9:21 A.M. 
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE ASOS AVERAGE...........35 WNW AT  9:22 A.M.      
MAXIMUM 2-MINUTE DAVIS AVERAGE..........36 WNW AT  7:32 A.M.     
AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION......20.6  W
                    ASOS..............19.4      
                    DAVIS.............20.9  W [280 deg] 
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M....0.00  DEPARTURE.....-0.14
                         ASOS..............0.00
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH..........2.34  DEPARTURE.....-0.39  
                         ASOS..............2.35    
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR...........5.28  DEPARTURE.....-2.23  
                         ASOS..............5.22
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES) THROUGH THIS MORNING (EST)
TOTAL SNOWFALL 24 HRS ENDING 7 A.M..........0.0  DEPARTURE......-0.5
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH................2.3  DEPARTURE......-9.2  
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON...............8.7  DEPARTURE.....-32.0 
 
PRELIMINARY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2007......CALENDAR DAY DATA
DATA REPORTED:
DATE: MAX/MIN/MEAN/DEP/PRECIP/SNOWFALL/SUN(MIN.)/SUN(%)/ PEAK GUST/AERO GUST
 
AERO: Aerovane recording wind system when significant
TSTM: Thunderstorm day
....: Data not yet available
 
2/1  35/20/28/+2/0/0/126/21         37 S    Aero 34 MPH S
2/2  35/28/32/+6/0.18/0.3/000/00    20 NW
2/3  32/19/26/0/0.05/0.4/574/95     39 W    Aero 47 MPH W  
2/4  22/10/16/-10/0/0/601/99        39 WSW  Aero 40 MPH WSW
2/5  16/5/11/-16/0/0/493/81         61 W    Aero 60 MPH W  
2/6  24/10/17/-10/0/0/593/97        38 W    Aero 36 MPH W 
2/7  21/8/15/-12/0/0/474/77         43 W    Aero 41 MPH W
2/8  25/11/18/-9/0/0/370/60         48 WSW
2/9  26/15/21/-6/0/0/600/97         44 WSW  Aero 42 MPH WSW
2/10 32/13/23/-4/0/0/199/32         28 W     
2/11 31/14/23/-4/0/0/456/73         27 SSW  
2/12 36/20/28/0/0/0/602/96          43 WSW  Aero 40 MPH W  
2/13 22/6/14/-14/0.02/0.2/226/36    28 NW   
2/14 36/13/25/-3/2.09/1.4/000/00    47 NE   Aero 52 MPH NE
2/15 21/9/15/-13/0/0/616/97         46 W    Aero 53 MPH W
2/16 27/9/18/-10/0/0/624/98         51 W    Aero 49 MPH W
2/17 34/17/26/-3/0/0/596/93         42 W
2/18 33/16/25/-4/0/0/289/45         38 WNW  Aero 40 MPH WNW  
2/19 20/5/13/-16/0/0/646/100        46 WNW  Aero 51 MPH WNW                            
     
2/20 morning low temp. since midnight 17 deg; normal low now 21 deg.
 
2/14 - NEW RECORD DAILY PRECIPITATION OF 2.09 INCHES;  
the previous record was 1.95 inches in 1940.
 
DAILY EXTREMES
Temperature and precipitation records back to 1885, and
wind records back to 1940 (e = estimated):
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 20
HIGH 66F IN 1930
LOW -4F IN 1966
PRECIP 1.90 INCHES IN 1934
SNOWFALL 15.0 INCHES IN 1921,1934
PEAK GUST 78 MPH NW IN 1972
 
RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 21
HIGH 62F IN 1930
LOW -6F IN 1950
PRECIP 2.42 INCHES IN 1898
SNOWFALL 9.0 INCHES IN 1929
PEAK GUST 72 MPH WNW IN 1967
 
TODAY'S REPORT By: Robert Skilling